Jaffna Public Library

Jaffna Public Library (Tamil: யாழ் பொது நூலகம்) is located in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It is one of Jaffna's most notable landmarks, and is run by the Jaffna Municipal Council. The library was built in 1933 and burnt in 1981.

During the early 1980s, it was one of the biggest libraries in Asia, containing over 97,000 books and manuscripts. In 2001, rehabilitation of the library was completed, with new structure being built and new books received, although its old books and manuscripts were not replaced. It is Sri Lanka's second main public Library only rivaled by the Library in Colombo.
The building's classical lines and beautiful proportions make it stand out architecturally. It contains lush gardens and has been modernized with new facilities such as free-wifi that was added in 2016.

In its reconstruction, architects kept true to the elegant original neo-Mughal design from 1959. Today it’s a bright spacious place that's very actively used by Jaffna's citizens.

Jaffna residents have long considered their city to be one of Asia’s finest intellectual capitals, and the library is an important Tamil cultural centre and historic institution (it was inaugurated in 1841).  The original world-renowned collection destroyed in the fire included more than 90,000 volumes, including irreplaceable Tamil documents such as the one surviving copy of Yalpanam Vaipavama, a history of Jaffna.
There's a statue of Saraswati – Hinduism’s goddess of knowledge – out front. At the back there's an airy cafe.

Address: AB20, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Hours:

Thursday	8AM–6PM
Friday	8AM–6PM
Saturday	8AM–6PM
Sunday	8AM–6PM
Monday	Closed
Tuesday	8AM–6PM
Wednesday	8AM–6PM

Phone:  +94 21 2 226028

Founded: 1933